When The Smoke Clears

When a Texas tornado hits Jake Jones’ ranch, he loses everything. Orphaned and stripped of his home, wealth and social status, he has no other choice but to take matters into his own hands. With only a couple of ranch hands and a thousand cattle left, he must lead them to the nearest market. With all his money now gone, Jake cannot take the train car, but has to do it the hard, old-fashioned way…

Preparing for the most grueling cattle drive of his life, will he rise to meet the challenge?

Annie Rose Parker has lost her husband in the storm. An Irish immigrant, she is neither here nor there and bitterly alone, but must quickly learn to fend for herself. When she is left penniless, yet proud, she comes to Jack’s door seeking employment. Holding her head high, she is determined to prove she can hold her own as their trail drive cook.

Is there any chance she can learn to trust a stranger?

As the two of them set out on the drive, neither is prepared for the innumerable dangers their path is fraught with. With rustlers, accidents, and the wilderness challenging their journey, are they ready to learn that unity makes strength and learn how to care for each other? With no experience and too few helpers to do the job, will they manage to reach their destination or will their dreams of starting anew forever remain another desert apparition?

Meet Detective Hedley Sharpe in this brilliant new British crime series full of stunning twists.

Before you embark on a journey of revenge, you should dig two graves…
Day 1. Chloe Todd believes her baby daughter is sleeping peacefully in her pram in the back garden. She lifts away the blanket to check on her — and gasps in shock.

Chloe’s neighbour calls the police. But all is not as it seems…
Day 2. Superintendent Hedley Sharpe is called to the city centre. A body is discovered in a cellar beneath an empty shop. A single shot to the head. The victim has been dead at least a year.

Day 3. A second body is found in the cellar next door. Again a single bullet wound in the head. But this time the body is fresh.

Hedley Sharpe doesn’t believe in coincidences. The two murders must be linked. Then he uncovers a connection to housewife Chloe Todd — and the case takes an extraordinary twist.

Kilteegan Bridge, County Cork, Ireland 1958

For eighteen-year-old Lena O’Sullivan, life feels like a cage with invisible bars. While everyone expects her to follow the well-worn path of marriage to a local boy and raising a family, Lena dreams of adventure and a world beyond the rolling hills of Kilteegan Bridge.

Malachy Berger is heir to a vast fortune, owner of the most magnificent house in the county, and blessed with an education that opens doors to anywhere in the world, Malachy represents everything Lena has ever yearned for. Not only is Malachy intriguing but there’s something deliciously mysterious about his eccentric German father and their enigmatic past that has the entire village whispering behind closed doors.

When Lena and Malachy’s friendship blossoms into something deeper, their families react with shocking hostility. But why? What dark secrets are they so desperate to hide? What could possibly be so dangerous about two young people falling in love?

As Lena digs deeper into the mystery, she uncovers a labyrinth of family secrets that span generations and continents. From the windswept cliffs of Ireland to the bustling streets of Cardiff, and back to the shadows of old Germany, she discovers that her destiny has been shaped by forces beyond her imagination.

Now Lena and Malachy must navigate a treacherous web of lies, betrayal, and secrets. Can they break free from the chains of the past, or are the doomed to pay for the sins of those gone before?

A hilarious cozy mystery from USA Today Bestselling author Shannon VanBergen.

Nikki is a flirtatious six-time divorcee. Geraldine is her quirky grandmother. Together with the retirement home neighborhood watch, they ensure no crime goes unpunished. When a killer goes after someone close to the gun-toting grannies, Nikki and the gang show they are willing to do whatever it takes to bring a killer to justice. Will it be enough to protect their friends or will it cost them more than they ever thought possible?

Secrets can destroy everything.

In the rugged highlands of Scotland, Ysenda Ramsay, a fierce and skilled archer, patrols the treacherous terrain to keep her people safe. But her nights are haunted by shadowy visions, and the specter of a stalking beast that may be more than just a dream. When an avalanche on a precarious ridge sends her tumbling with the man she can’t stop bickering with, Ysenda realizes that danger lurks not only in the physical world but in the shadows of her own past.

Lewis Haggert, a guard for the Matheson lands with a concealed shame, has buried his secrets to secure a respected position. Yet, sparks fly between him and Ysenda, and surviving the avalanche ignites a longing for a connection beyond banter. As their feelings deepen, Lewis is forced to confront his past, unraveling the mysteries that threaten not only their love but also their lives.

For Ysenda and Lewis to forge a future together, they must confront the demons within and unearth family secrets that could shatter everything. In a race against time and the ghosts of the past, Lewis is determined to be the man who not only saves their love but also helps Ysenda conquer the fears that hold her captive. Will they emerge victorious, or will the shadows consume them both?